Child of Thorns
by LightningFuryStrike13
Summary: How safe is it, really, to leave an infant on a doorstep? I mean anyone could come and just scoop the child up.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own either Harry Potter or the Thorn Queen, though the spider that lives under my toilet might.

This was inspired by a watercolor by Amy Brown entitled "Thorn Queen".

Harry Potter, Child of Thorns

After Rubeus Hagrid, the Keeper of Grounds and Keys of Hogwarts roared off on the ill-fated Sirius Black's motorcycle, after Minerva Mongonall, Deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration Professor of Hogwarts padded away on cat feet, and after Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards, put back all the lights on Privet Drive, and wishing his well wishes walked away, only then as small breeze blew down that street, ruffling the leaves of the trees and the leaves of a Mrs. Petunia Dursley's rose bushes planted on either side of her doorstep on which now lay the Savior of the World and only after the breeze had past could it be seen that the rose bushes still shook. Slowly the plants vines reached out to touch over the sleeping baby boy on the doorstep, and even though it was too cold for roses to bloom, two beautiful blossoms opened where the vines touched. Just as quickly as they had bloomed did the petals fall from the blossoms but in their wake was a beautiful, ethereal woman.

Her wild black hair tumbled down her back and over her pale, bare breasts with their tight brown nipples, her face was at once aristocratic, and dreamy, and innocent, and heart wrenchingly beautiful. Her eyes were of a color of palest rose, the color of the garland of roses that rested low on her hips and the blossoms on the twisting vines that hung from it forming a long, trailing "skirt" that at once covered and revealed her legs and tiny bare feet. The woman bent at the waist to pick up the tiny baby and cuddled him close to her chest. Her formerly blank eyes warmed as she smiled at the tiny new bud in her arms.

She picked the letter out of the blankets and threw it into the air where it opened, and unfolded in front of her. She frowned in a way reminisce of a certain potions master turned spy, and made a hand motion that would have torn the letter to shreds but thought better of it. If the letter spoke the truth then her little bud would need to know. She banished the piece of paper away until she would need it and contemplated the house in front of her. She had known the baby would be left here and had contrived to secure the local before another of the fey could claim the babe but to her surprise the woman inside had took exceptionally good care of her roses despite their preordained healthiness. She found as the woman talked to the neighbors that she had always loved roses but was a horrible gardener which was why she was so exceptionally proud of the beautiful roses that had sprouted seemingly of their own accord, though the woman believed them to be the neglected plants of the last owner. The woman who had come from the roses thought of this and came up with a wonderful gift for the woman she was depriving of such a beautiful babe. The rose woman pulled one of the many rose petals from her hair and kissed it. Smiling she let it float right in front of the door as she knew the woman would be the first out the next day. From this time on the woman would forever have a special touch with roses but would continue to fail at all other plants. Nodding her head she once again smiled down at the babe in arms preparing to leave when she noticed the scar upon his forehead.

She frowned as a picture flew before her eyes showing that pain would come from this ugly touching of death and looked towards where the old white haired man had disappeared. She brought her hand to her waist and pressed hard on the thorns there and bringing a bloodied finger to the babe's forehead, traced the jagged scar. She pulled another petal from her hair and pressed it on the babe's scar then slowly used it to wipe away the blood and with it the scar. She smiled down at the small babe again and crushed the bloodied petal in her hand. Then, brushing the hair away from the face of her now perfect child, she and the babe disappeared in a whirl of rose petals.

Petunia Dursley and her family would never know about not having to raise her nephew. Albus Dumbledore wouldn't know until thirteen years later that his Marauder's child was not where he left him. Rubeus Hagrid didn't know he would be seeing the boy he had kissed goodbye again fairly soon as would Minerva Mongonall. The Thorn Queen had a baby.

Review please and yes I know I write strange although no one can tell me how exactly, although if you can please do enlighten me.

BTW your opinion should I skip Harry's growing up until first year and then just fill in the blanks with memories (which is the plan) or would you prefer some scenes from his childhood next chapter leading up to first year.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, the Thorn Queen, or the All Forests are One spell. They belong to J.K. Rowling, Amy Brown and Mercedes Lackey respectively.

Child of Thorns

Chapter 2

The Thorn Queen awoke upon her bed of roses and stretched gently before rising from her nightly rest. She chuckled as she looked around to find her son's bed already empty. It was just after dawn but true to form her little bud was already up and ready to face the day. She carefully stepped over the edging of protective thorns around her bed and went in search of her young one.

"Caw! Good morning Mistress!" spoke the raven by the door, "Looking for the young one? He's in yon tree talking to his owl friend and her clutch."

"Thank you, friend Raven." The Thorn Queen smiled and nodded her head in acknowledgement. She turned towards the berry bushes; her little bud would be hungry soon. She quickly finished picking enough fairy fruit for them both and some extra for the mother owl. Using a fully opened blossom for a bowl she easily walked through the thorn bushes to the tree the raven had indicated.

"My little one whose blossoms have not opened to the sun, come down and eat with me..Oh!" She almost dropped her rose full of berries as a large owl swooped down among the trees, but she did not recognize this owl. It landed on an outstretched branch just as her baby descended with feather down in his hair. She smiled down at her little one who had ignored the new arrival in favor of the berries in her hand. She handed him the blossom and walked towards where the owl had landed and was impatiently hopping from foot to foot.

"May I help you? Oh, you are a wizarding owl I see, from the letter you carry." She looked perplexed at the creature, what would a wizarding owl be doing here?

"Yes ma'am now if you don't mind I have many more delivers to make." The owl hooted as he stuck out his leg for her to untie the letter.

"Would you like something to eat before you go?" She asked as she untied the rather thick letter.

"No thank you ma'am. I have many deliveries to make and full stomach would just weigh me down, thank you though. Hoot!" The owl now relieved of his burden took to the air leaving the Queen of Thorns to stare down at the parchment in her hand.

Child of the Thorn Queen

Child's Bed of Roses

Thorn Queen's Garden

Forbidden Forest (All Forests Are One)

She looked back down at her baby, who was now looking up at her inquisitively, and her face became pensive. She had known this day would come eventually just as it had for her many years ago, and just as her father had she knew she too would have to let her baby go. She remembered the day some centuries ago that her own Hogwarts letter had come. Back then she was one of three fey children going to the school, her baby would be alone. She sank to her knees beside him to share in their breakfast.

"Did you say that was a wizarding owl Mother?" The Child of Thorns asked.

"Yes dear it was. Your Hogwarts letter has come."

"Do I have to go?"

"Yes"

"But Mother I won't know anyone there. Can't you teach me? You know wizarding magic."

"Yes but I went to school a long time ago baby I dare say things have changed since then." The Queen paused, "Baby, Do you remember when I first told you of the wizarding world I told you that you would one day have to go back because of a letter that came with you. I told you that I would show you the letter when I thought it was time?"

"Yes" The Child said cautiously.

"Well in light of you going to Hogwarts, I think it's time."

The Queen rose to her feet in one graceful movement and turned towards her home, a huge nest of thorn and rose bushes of all different colors and kinds it was from this tangle you could see the whole garden had grown. A marvelous example of an offensive defense, a true embodiment of the rose, the thickest tangles were all around the edges and directly in the center. The climbing vines winding around the trucks of the trees creating the impassable screen of sharp thorns camouflaged by the roses to form a deadly trap. Inside the garden the thorns wound so thick together that it was impossible to walk through, if you were human. But the Thorn Queen had not been human for over 700 years and the Thorn Child had not been for the last 10, they moved easily through the tangle because the thorns did not willing pierce their skin and almost seemed to move to make room for them to pass.

Inside the nest that was their home, the floor was made of a cool blue stone and the walls of thickly interlaced vines. It made a cool, protected home and one that the Thorn Child had spent his entire life in, as he skipped through the arch of roses he paused and enjoyed how his home looked in the summer and pouted that he wouldn't get to see the withering of fall, or brambles of winter nor the new buds of spring because of the school he would be going to.

"Mother will you send me flowers so I don't miss anything?" the Thorn Child asked as he stood close to his mother wrapping his thin arms around her bare middle and laying his head on the small of her back.

The Thorn Queen smiled and turned to catch her babe's chin, "Oh darling you won't miss them. Hogwarts stands at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. I dare say if they allow it you could come home to me every night, but I doubt it, maybe on the days in between the weeks you could come home though." She turned again and continued to shuffle through old documents for the letter left with her babe so long ago.

The Thorn Child happy to hear he would be kept close by skipped over to the wall to stroke a vine that slithered out of the way followed by others so as to let light into the home made of tangles of rose thorns. Light streamed in from various new holes in the ceilings and sides and a light breeze blew in through the cracks. The Child skipped to the wall to get a drink of cool water from the spring on that side next to a large impression in the stone that they used to bathe. The spring like everything else here was a beautiful merging of magic and nature.

Finally the Queen found the letter she'd found with her babe so many years ago. It read as follows:

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Vernon and Petunia Dursley,

Do to the Evil Dark Lord that has been of late terrorizing the Wizarding Community young Harry's parents have tragically met their end. Miraculously Harry survived and as his only living relatives you are now entrusted with his care. You must keep him for Harry by his survival is extremely important to the Wizarding World. He and all in this house are protected from harm by the blood protection granted by his mother upon her death.

I extend my deepest sympathies on the loss of your sister and brother-in-law but hope that the care of young Harry will alleviate some of this strain.

Be warned to not try to remove Harry from your home for by your sister's blood you are bound to care for him until his adulthood. Grave are the circumstances if this Wizarding Oath is broken.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards

The Child finished reading the letter with a look of slight confusion on his face. "Mother will my aunt be hurt cause she didn't take me?" he asked in slight concern.

"No, Child as she was unaware of the Oath she is unaffected by it although the blood protection should still extend to her and your cousin." The Thorn Queen replied. She was reading the second page of her babe's Hogwarts letter and a slight frown could be seen tugging at her lips. Some things they could get from the forest and some from local fey and elven communities but other things were purely wizard and would have to gotten from Diagon Alley, a Wizarding shopping center in a large town a ways away from here even with the All Forests are One spell. They would need help getting there.

Perhaps the half-giant that lived some miles from here who was so kind to animals could help.

Sorry this took so long. College and all ya know.

Oh and Thank you to Lady Bird5 for being one of the many reviewers(thanks to all of you too) that, by chance, reviewed on a day that I had nothing to do and so finished this chapter and got the next several worked out in my mind. Mayhaps another chapter will even come out today.


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